Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 682 From Chonglimen to Xibingku

A quarter of an hour later, the garrison commander Cai Zongji arrived at Chongli Gate on horseback. Behind him were the Left Councilor of the State Council, the Minister of Personnel, the Director of the Border Defense Office, the Emperor's brother-in-law Liu Xifen, and a small number of eunuchs from the Shimin Hall, led by Pei Ji.

"General Cai." Deputy goalkeeper Jin Yingkun stepped forward and saluted.

"Open the door." Cai Zongji had no time for formalities and simply waved his hand to give the order.

"Open the door?" Jin Yingkun was taken aback.

“That’s right,” Cai Zongji dismounted. “I told you to open the city gates!”

Cai Zongji's expression was clearly unfriendly, but Jin Yingkun still braced himself and said, "Who asked you to open the door? Do you have an order from the sergeant? Martial law is in effect right now."

"There's no time to ask the sergeant for orders. I told you to open the gate, so just open it. It's not your responsibility!" Cai Zongji threw down the reins and glanced back.

Liu Xifen had learned to ride horses when he was young and was quite skilled. However, in recent years, he had lived a life of luxury, always being carried around, and his riding skills had become rusty. Therefore, he dared not ride at full speed, and could only urge his horse to walk briskly at a small pace, as he was doing now.

"Who are those people?" Kim Eung-kun had obviously also seen Yoo Hee-fen and the eunuchs following behind him.

"That's the Imperial Uncle Liu. His Highness the Crown Prince sent him out to negotiate with the Ming army. Why are you spouting so much nonsense!" Cai Zongji glared at Jin Yingkun, then shoved him aside and walked towards the gate. "Someone come here!"

"I was just following the rules," Jin Yingkun said with an awkward smile, and quickly followed.

"I think you're just afraid of trouble."

"I was mainly worried that something might happen to you," Jin Yingkun said as he approached Cai Zongji. Together with Cai and several strong soldiers, they lifted the massive bolt that held the two city gates firmly in place. "Those pedantic scholars in the Censorate only care about the rules and regulations; they don't care if we have any difficulties."

Lowering the bolt, Cai Zongji let out a long sigh. "That damned Censorate, do they even dare to impeach me, a subject of the Celestial Empire?"

"Is the matter of the training supervisor settled? What did they say?" Kim Eung-kun and Chae Jong-ki grabbed the handle fixed to the edge of the door.

"What else can we say? Did we have a choice? The Ming army didn't directly order the training supervisor to disarm, but instead politely sent someone to ask General Zhao to take over. That's already very kind of them. Hmm." Cai Zongji gritted his teeth and used all his muscles to barely manage to make the door hinge slowly rotate.

The hinges turned, and the city gate gradually opened.

When the gap in the door became large enough for a person to squeeze through sideways, two soldiers ran to the door and held the outer edge of the door, working together with Jin Yingkun and Cai Zongji to pull.

The door crack was widened until a soldier could pass through upright, at which point Cai Zongji released the handle. "Is General Zhao still outside?"

“They’re still here,” Kim Eung-kun said, stepping aside to make way for the soldier who was pushing open the door. “They haven’t left.”

"Okay." Cai Zongji nodded and turned around, casually tossing out a sentence. "Go and open the barbican quickly."

"Yes." Jin Yingkun adjusted his breathing, took a step forward, and shouted as he ran, "Open the city gates! Open the city gates now!"

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Unlike typical Chinese cities, Hanyang did not have an artificial moat surrounding the entire city. Beyond the barbican gate lay a wide, open road leading directly to the Han River.

At this moment, Zhao Xu, the training commander of the Southern Battalion, was sitting under a tea stall set up on the left side of the main road. He was accompanied only by a few scattered guards. They were the only customers at this tea stall.

"General Zhao, look!" A guard sitting facing Chongli Gate noticed the commotion and quickly put down his teapot.

Zhao Xu turned his head to look in the direction indicated, and saw the guard he had left under the gate to sunbathe running towards him. "General Zhao, the city gate is open! The city gate is open!"

"Hoo," Zhao Xu let out a long breath. His heart, which had just relaxed a little, began to beat irregularly again. "Go and bring the horse quickly."

"Yes!" the guard in charge of the horses responded immediately. He then drank the tea in the bowl in one gulp.

"Check, please." The head guard grabbed a handful of beans and stuffed them into his mouth, then casually tossed down a handful of copper coins.

A moment later, Zhao Xu and his party rode their horses to the city gate and ran into the emperor's brother-in-law, Liu Xifen, and his party.

Zhao Xu was somewhat surprised. He had expected the palace to send an envoy, but he did not expect the Crown Prince to send Liu Xifen directly.

Why Liu Guojiu? He clearly has no connection with the Training Supervisor. Or is it precisely because Liu Guojiu has no connection with the Training Supervisor that...
Before he could think further, Liu Xifen had already arrived. Zhao Xu dismounted and went to greet him, bowing respectfully. "This humble general, Zhao Xu, pays his respects to Imperial Uncle Liu."

"Get on the horse! We'll talk on the way." Liu Xifen's face was grim. This was not only because he was unsure about what was to come, but also because he hadn't ridden a horse in a long time.

Unlike riding in a sedan chair or carriage, when riding a horse, one doesn't simply sit on the horse's back. Instead, one is in a half-squatting, half-sitting position. The legs and waist need to constantly exert force to adjust the posture to match the horse's up-and-down movements.

For someone accustomed to riding, adjusting their posture is a matter of muscle memory, almost instinctive, requiring only sufficient strength to maintain. But for someone like Liu Xifen, who has almost lost muscle memory, adjusting their posture requires not only strength but also mental focus. Because if they are even slightly distracted, their buttocks or testicles will hit the saddle.

"Yes." Zhao Xu didn't know why Liu Xifen's face looked so bad, but he could only nervously mount his horse and ride alongside Liu Xifen.

“Speak,” Liu Xifen gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his lower back. “Tell me everything you know.”

Zhao Xu thought for a moment and decided to start from the beginning. "At dawn this morning, the Ming army began crossing the river. About an hour later, the vanguard of the Ming army deployed their wagon formations on the north bank of the Han River."

"A car formation?" Liu Xifen interjected.

"It's a formation primarily composed of sidecar chariots equipped with breech-loading cannons, supplemented by musketeers, riders, and assassins. We can also deploy this formation, just on a much smaller scale." Zhao Xu held the reins with one hand, while the other hand pulled on his outer robe, blowing it up and down. "And that's just the vanguard; there's a huge crowd waiting to cross the river on the other side. It seems the Emperor has sent at least tens of thousands of people."

A bead of sweat slid down Liu Xifen's furrowed brow as he recounted the scene of "tens of thousands of people." "Is that kind of chariot formation an offensive formation?"

“The chariot formation can be used for both offense and defense. I don’t see it very clearly,” Zhao Xu said, “but that formation should be a defensive one.”

“Look? From what you’re saying,” Liu Xifen turned his head. “You were there at the time?”

"I suppose so," Zhao Xu said. "Early this morning, news came from the Longshan outpost that the Ming army was crossing the river, so I went to check the situation. I happened to see the Ming army in formation."

Liu Xifen, at the Longshan outpost, pondered for a moment. "Did they cross the river near the West Ice Warehouse?"

“That’s right,” Zhao Xu affirmed. “Commander Cui, who guards the Longshan outpost, told me that just as dawn was breaking, the Ming army’s warships blocked the Xibingku ferry crossing against the current. Then, they began to cross the river.”

"How many ships does the Ming army have?" The sun was so hot that Liu Xifen couldn't stand it, so he pressed down his black hat and gauze hat even lower.

"Not many, only about ten, and most of them were lying across the river. Only two boats participated in the crossing," Zhao Xu said. "Judging from what Commander Cui said, those two boats were probably just transporting chariots and cannons."

"Only two ships transporting supplies? How did they manage that?" Liu Xifen quickly realized. "They requisitioned civilian ships?"

“That’s right.” Zhao Xu nodded. “Those soldiers almost all crossed the river by ferry. When I went there, those ferries were still coming and going, and the scene was quite spectacular.”

"Alright." Leaving the city, Liu Xifen's heart pounded even faster. "And then what?"

"After that," Zhao Xu reorganized his interrupted thoughts, "After the Ming army's vanguard set up their wagon formation, they dispatched a cavalry unit of about fifty men to advance north along the official road. I then raised my flag and took the initiative to contact them. After I identified myself, they asked me to take over the southern detachment camp. Later, I led my men to the city."

"So, according to you, it was that cavalry unit that requested to take over Nanbie Camp?" The black hat could block out the light, but not the heat. Large beads of sweat continuously slid down Liu Xifen's temples and wrinkles. "Yes," Zhao Xu guessed, "I think their original mission was to go to Nanbie Camp to deliver the takeover notice, but they just happened to run into me."

"Have you seen other Ming soldiers? I'm talking about higher-ranking generals."

“The officer didn’t insist that I meet the Heavenly General,” Zhao Xu said, licking his lips somewhat guiltily. “After I said I needed to consult with Hanyang, they let me leave.”

Zhao Xu's words were polite, and Liu Xifen didn't think too much about them. "Did they only ask to take over the Nanbie Camp?"

“That’s right. The leading officer only said that he was to take over the Nanbie Camp.” Zhao Xu nodded. “After that, he led his cavalry back the way they came.”

"Back the way they came?" Liu Xifen wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "They didn't go to Nanbie Camp?"

"At least so far, no one from the main camp has come to report the approach of the Ming army," Zhao Xu said vaguely.

"Who were the commanding officers of those Ming troops?"

"The team leader's surname was Zhang, and the interpreter's surname was Luo. I don't know their names."

"Who asked you that!" Liu Xifen's brows furrowed. "I wanted to know whose command they are under, and whose orders they take!"

"Shen Xun!" Zhao Xu exclaimed. "They claim to be the vanguard cavalry under Shen Xun, the adjutant of the Fourth Battalion of the Divine Machine Army!"

"The Fourth Battalion of the Divine Machine Army. Surname Shen?"

"Yes, his surname is Shen."

"What is the relationship between this Lieutenant General Shen and that Admiral Shen?" Liu Xifen asked.

"This humble general," Zhao Xu shook his head. "I don't know."

"You didn't ask!?" Liu Xifen's eyebrows furrowed again.

Zhao Xu quickly explained, "This humble general was in a hurry to report, so I didn't think of that."

"You! Sigh..." Liu Xifen finally suppressed the fear that was about to turn into anger. "...Never mind."

Zhao Xu felt somewhat relieved, but still anxious, he asked, "What did the palace say?"

"What do you mean, how do you say it?" Liu Xifen exhaled a breath of hot air from his lungs.

"The palace sent you out of the city, is it to negotiate, or..." Zhao Xu interrupted halfway through his sentence.

"Hmph." Liu Xifen snorted lightly, turning his head to stare at Zhao Xu. "If you have something to say, you might as well say it plainly. Even Li Erzhan is more straightforward than you!"

Zhao Xu remained silent for a moment. "Do you intend to relinquish military power?"

“I’m asking you,” Liu Xifen countered. “If Li Erzhan ordered you to lead your troops to confront the Ming army, would you carry out that order?”

Zhao Xu swallowed hard, avoiding a direct answer: "Isn't it too late to start preparations now?"

"Then when do you think it would be too late to start preparations?" Liu Xifen pressed aggressively.

Zhao Xu was speechless. This question, like the previous one, was a double-edged sword, impossible to answer directly. After thinking it over, Zhao Xu couldn't find a way to respond, so he simply avoided eye contact and remained silent.

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South of Longshan Mountain, on the banks of the Han River, in a two-story restaurant called Wangjiang Tower, Shen Xun, the adjutant general of the Fourth Battalion of the Divine Machine Army, and Xiang Junqing, the probationary centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were enjoying chilled tea.

Generally speaking, the winter ice stored in the West Ice Warehouse can only be obtained by the holder of an ice ticket issued by the Imperial Household Department, but Shen Xun directly ordered two large standard blocks of stored ice to be brought over for him to cool off.

"They say winter vegetables and summer ice are as precious as silver," Xiang Junqing said, looking at the ice basin the eunuch had just brought over. "Aren't we being a little too indulgent?"

"It didn't cost any money. How can you call it enjoyment?" Shen Xun scooped a large, seasonal plum from the ice basin and tossed it to Xiang Junqing. "So, are you going to eat it or not?"

"It's precisely because I didn't spend any money that I feel something's wrong." Xiang Junqing took the plum and immediately took a bite. The cool, sweet and sour juice filled his taste buds, and as it went down his throat, Xiang Junqing almost hummed with pleasure.

"Is it delicious?" Shen Xun asked with a grin.

"This isn't very well-cooked; it's a bit too sour," Xiang Junqing said.

"Hehe." Shen Xun chuckled, then scooped out two more large plums and handed the larger one to Xiang Junqing. "Then you can try this one too."

Xiang Junqing hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the plum.

"Hmph." Shen Xun chuckled as he popped the remaining plum into his mouth. "You two-faced brat."

Xiang Junqing blushed.

"Ouch!" Shen Xun was overwhelmed by the sourness of the plum; his face contorted in pain. "This is fucking astringent! It's not ripe at all!"

Xiang Junqing immediately went from shy to smiling. "Mine is quite sweet."

"Tch," Shen Xun rolled his eyes at Xiang Junqing, about to retort, when he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

"Someone's here." Xiang Junqing heard it too. He quickly suppressed his smile and ate the sweet plum down to just the pit in the middle.

"General!" After a brief conversation, Shen Xun's inner guard, his adopted son Shen Cheng, came upstairs.

"Who's here?" Shen Xun asked.

Shen Cheng swallowed hard and cupped his hands, saying, "Commander He sent someone to say that a Korean who claims to be the Crown Prince's special envoy has come to the front lines, saying that he wants to discuss the handover of the Southern Camp."

"Let him come."

"Yes!"

"Come back." Shen Xun waved to Shen Cheng.

"What are your orders, General?" Shen Cheng strode closer.

Shen Xun pushed the herbal tea in front of him towards Shen Cheng. "Drink it if you're thirsty, then go downstairs."

"Thank you, General." Shen Cheng picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)